Fugu — Pufferfish Preparation and Culture
Shimonoseki (Yamaguchi Prefecture), Japan — fugu capital; regulations from Meiji period
Fugu (河豚, pufferfish) is Japan's most controversial delicacy — the fish contains tetrodotoxin (TTX) in its liver, ovaries, and skin, which is lethal in small doses with no antidote, yet its flesh is pristine and delicious when prepared by a certified specialist. The combination of extreme danger and ethereal flavour has made fugu Japan's ultimate luxury thrill food and its most carefully regulated culinary ingredient. Fugu chefs must pass a rigorous 3-year apprenticeship and government examination to receive a fugu licence. The permitted flesh is mild, clean, and firm with a subtle sweetness — hirezake (fugu fin sake, warming the dried fin in hot sake) is the theatrical winter drink preparation. The primary preparations: fugu sashimi cut paper-thin (tessa) arranged as a chrysanthemum flower; fugu nabe (fugu hot pot); fugu karaage (deep-fried fugu); and the luxury whole soup (chiri-nabe with fugu, tofu, and vegetables). Shimonoseki (Yamaguchi Prefecture) is Japan's fugu capital.